The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-11-12

| tie resort in summer Whcn not actuitlly
engaged in household work. 1t was now
lightly rooted over with boards and tar
pauln against the winter rain, hut still
afforded her vcranda like fpace before
the galley door, where she CO I'D read or
sew, looking over the bow OF the Pontiac
to the tossing bay or the further range OF
the Contra Costa hills.
Hithcr Miss Roscy brought he purple
prodigy, partly to please her father, partly
with view OF subjectng It TO violent rad
ical changes. But after trying it ON be-
fore the tiny mirror in the gallc.r once or
twice, her thoughts wandered away, and
she fell into one of her habitunl rcveries
seated on a little stool before the galley
door.
Sic was aroused from II by the slight
shaking and rafting Of the doors OF "A
small hatch on the deck, not dozen
Yards from where she sat II had .cen
evidently fastened from below during the
wet weather, but as sho gazed, the fasten-
ings were removed, the doors were sud-
denly lifted, and the head and shoulders
Of young man emerged from the deck.
Partly from her fathers description, and
partly from the impossibility of its being
anybody else, she Mt once conceived 1t TO
be the new lodger She had time to note
that he was young and good looking,
gravcr perhaps than became his sudden
pantomimic appearance, but before she
could observe him closely he had turned,
closed the hatch with n certain familiar
dexterity, and walked slowly towards the
bows. Even in her slight bewildcrment
she observed that his step upon the deck
seemed different to her fathers or the
photographers, and that he laid his hand
on various objects with half carcssing
ease and habit Presently he paused and
turned back, and glancing at the galley
door for the first time encountered her
wondering eyes.
IL seemed so evident that she had been
curious spectator Of his abrupt entrance
on deck that he was ut first disconnected
and confused. But after second glance
at her he appeared to resume his compos-
ure, and advanced little defantly to-
wards the galley.
IL suppose frightened you, popping
up the fore hatch Just now"
''The WHAT" asked Rosey.
1.-THE fore hatch" he repeated inpa-
tiently, indicating it with gesture.
"And that's the fore hatch?" she said
abstractedly. "You seem to know ships. !"
"Yes-a little" he said quietly. II
was below, and unfastened the hatch to
come up the quickest way and take look
round. I've just hired a room here" he
added explanatorily.
81 thought So" said Rosey simply;
"you'rc the contractors"
"The contractor yes You seem
to know 1t all"
Fathers told me-"
ooh, he's your father-Nott' Ger
tainly. / see now,' he continued, looking
at her with half rerresscd smile. Scr
tainly, Miss Mott, good morning." he hall
added and walked toward the companion
way. Something in the direction of his
eyes rs he turned away made Rosey LII:
her hands to her head. She had forgotten
| to remove her fathers balcful gift.
She snatched it Off and ran quickly t.
| the companion way.
"Sirr' she called.
| The young man turned half way down
| the steps and looked up. There was
faint color in her cheeks and her pretty
brown hair was slightly disheveled from
the hasty removal of the bonnet.
Fathers very particular about stran-
gers being on this deck" she said, little
sharply.
"Oh-ah-rm sorry intruded."
"I-I-thought I'd tell YOU" said
Roscy, frightened by her boldness into q
feeble anti-climax.
"Thank YOU"
She came back slowly to the galley and
picked up the unfortunate bonnet with a
slight sense Of remorse. Why should she
feel angry with her poor fathers unhappy
offering? And what business had this
strange young man to use the ship SO
familiarity Yet she was vaguely con-
scious that she and her father, with all
their love and their domestic experience
of 1t, lacked certain instructive ease In
its possession that the half Indifferent
stranger had shown on first treading its
deck. She walked to the hatchway and
examined it with new interest Sue
ceeding in lifting the hatch she gazed at
the lower deck. AS. she already knew the
ladder had long since been removed to
make room for one of the partitions, the
only way the stranger could have reached
it was by leaping to one of the rings. TO
make sure of this she let herself down,
holding on TO the rings, and dropped n
couple of feet to the deck below. She was
In the narrow passage her father had pene-
trated the previous night Before her was
the door leading to de Ferrieres' loft, al
ways locked. 1t was silent within; it
was the hour when the old French
man made his habtual promenade in
the city. But the light from the newly
opened hatch allowed her to see more of
the mysterious recesses of the forward
bulkhead than she had known before, and
she was startled by observing another
yawning hatchway at her feet from which
the closely fitting door had been lifted
and which the new ledger had evidently
forgotten to close again. The young Cir